Crossed Paths
by LilsNightlock
Summary: Mia doesn't want to betray her family. They're the only people in her faction, Erudite, that she can stand. She's going to have to do it anyway, though; it's the only way she'll be happy. Follow Mia as she goes on a journey through the city and makes many new friends and decisions.


**Hey guys! So I may or may not carry on writing this, and this chapter is quite short. But anyway, it was quite fun to write this chapter so I reckon I'll write some more at some point! This is another one of those things where I use people from real life, so it should be interesting XD**

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This is the day.

I stand with bated breath in the line in the choosing ceremony, next to a girl called Naomi from the Amity faction. My grey clothes are soon going to be sweaty from the warmth of this room, and my nervous-ness that makes my forehead break out in a cold sweat. This is the day. The day I'm going to betray my family.

They're Erudite - my younger brother Lucas, and my mother and father. I'm just not fit for the Erudite life. Sure, I'm smart, but I don't go about searching for knowledge. I don't thirst for knowledge like everyone else in this damned faction does. I'm actually quite sick of it; the endless classes, the cruel comments, the fact that almost everyone here often has a sneer on their face. My parents are slightly different. They told me that they transferred to Erudite from Amity because it was too quiet for them there, and they much preferred the reward they could get out of belong to Erudite. The reward of knowledge.

I let out a sigh as Naomi looks sideways at me, her yellow Amity clothes constantly catching the corner of my eye. We kind of match, with my blue Erudite clothes and our light brown hair, although I notice that she has blue eyes whilst mine are brown. We're even about the same height. I don't really know her, of course, just her name that I've heard around school sometimes, and I can only just about match it to her face. I don't know her last name, either, but that doesn't really matter. After I betray my family today, my last name won't matter to anyone either; certainly not my parents.

My stomach churns as the names being called out get closer and closer to coming to me. Naomi will come after me, so I had better be ready. She smiles at me as the person before me has their name called and they saunter to the front of the room. I recognise that boy as he's from my faction. His name is James Clark, and of course he sticks with Erudite, grinning as he swipes his palm with the knife he's given and drips his blood into the water of our faction. It makes sense, since he's cruel like most of the rest of them are, especially so. I'm going to be glad to leave him behind.

I am the first of the people whose names begin with 'D' to go up to choose my faction. 'Mia Dalton!' I shudder as they call my name and Naomi taps my shoulder reassuringly. And then I make my move.

My feet feel slow and heavy as I sluggishly walk up to the stage. I try my very hardest to avoid finding my parents as I stand by the bowls of the factions, staring at the floor as I'm handed the knife. After locating the bowl I need i move over to it and yank the knife across my palm, quickly and carelessly, and then throw my hand out over the bowl containing earth. That's it. I've done it. I've betrayed my family, but... I feel good about it. I really do.

A rush of adrenaline shoots through my body as I go to stand with my new faction and Naomi's name gets called, muffled in my ears and drowned out by the pumping of my own heart. I will miss my family, of course, but life will be so much better here and I'm looking forward to it.

Someone approaches the line behind me and I look around to see Naomi smiling at me. 'Well, I didn't expect that. Welcome to the faction, I'm looking forward to getting to know you,' she says.

This is it. The beginning of my new life. I smile back at Naomi, and I know that everything is going to work out better now.

This faction is where I belong.

This faction is where I have _always _belonged.

Amity.


End file.
